We don’t need cattle colony

– Osun government

The Osun State Government has rejected the cattle colony being proposed by the Federal Government to address the continuous killing of farmers by Fulani herdsmen across the country.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Osun State, Mr. Adelani Baderinwa, said this in an interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Thursday.

He said Governor Rauf Aregbesola, had foreseen the kind of herders-farmers’ crises being witnessed in many states and had since established a committee comprising of government officials, farmers and herdsmen to resolve whatever issue that might lead to conflict.

The committee, the commissioner said, had been in existence for almost two years, saying it had resolved thousands of cases, stressing that that was the reason why there had not been herder- farmers’ clashes in the state.

The commissioner said, “ “The truth is that we have gone ahead of that long before the current crisis in some parts of the country happened. We have a committee of Yoruba and Fulani which is overseeing the issue of farm destruction by livestock and other related issues.

“There is understanding between the two groups. The understanding is that no cattle rearer should graze their livestock into any farm and if this happens, the herder will pay for the destruction.

“If a new herder is entering into Osun from any part of the country, such person will be taken to the head of the Fulani and he will be registered and be included among those whose activities will be monitored by the committee. Members of the committee know everyone and I believe it is a great job.

“That is what we have put in place in order to prevent this kind of crisis and it is working. We are hoping that there won’t be any intruder to disrupt the peace we have been enjoying for more than one and a half years. So, I don’t think that the proposed creation of cattle colonies will be necessary for us in Osun State.”

Meanwhile, the Yoruba Socio Cultural Association has called on the states in the South-West to enact laws to stop open grazing in the geopolitical zone in order to stop killings and destruction of farms by the Fulani herdsmen.

The National Coordinator of the YSCA, Mr. Hammed Olalekan, said this in a separate interview with our correspondent on Thursday.